73rd House District

Vice President Kamala Harris is running for president and has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve as her vice president. Between them, Harris and Walz have a wealth of executive and legislative experience, and both have demonstrated a firm commitment to protecting our freedoms and fighting for a brighter future for all Americans.

Before serving as vice president, Kamala Harris was California’s Attorney General and served in the U.S. Senate. Tim Walz spent 24 years in the US Military before his professional career as a teacher and coach, before serving six terms in Congress and one full term as governor of Minnesota.

Harris and Walz’s vision for America centers on protecting the rights and freedoms of people across the country and fighting back against the attacks MAGA Republicans have launched on abortion access, LGBTQ+ equality, voting rights, and racial justice. They also aim to foster an economic environment where everyone can thrive, not just corporations and the wealthy, protect our environment from corporate polluters, and enact common-sense gun violence prevention laws to make us all safer.

Harris and Walz have been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: Clean Water Action, Emgage Action, Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan Education Association, Michigan United Action, MI Poder, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Sierra Club - Michigan.

Vice President Harris’s opponent in this race is former president Donald Trump, a con man whose time in the White House was characterized by chaos, bigotry, and a focus on taking care of himself and his wealthy friends. Trump has selected Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate. Vance has limited experience in governing and has followed Trump’s lead in spreading harmful racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the most progressive choices in this race

Vice President Kamala Harris is running for president and has selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to serve as her vice president. Between them, Harris and Walz have a wealth of executive and legislative experience, and both have demonstrated a firm commitment to protecting our freedoms and fighting for a brighter future for all Americans.

Before serving as vice president, Kamala Harris was California’s Attorney General and served in the U.S. Senate. Tim Walz spent 24 years in the US Military before his professional career as a teacher and coach, before serving six terms in Congress and one full term as governor of Minnesota.

Harris and Walz’s vision for America centers on protecting the rights and freedoms of people across the country and fighting back against the attacks MAGA Republicans have launched on abortion access, LGBTQ+ equality, voting rights, and racial justice. They also aim to foster an economic environment where everyone can thrive, not just corporations and the wealthy, protect our environment from corporate polluters, and enact common-sense gun violence prevention laws to make us all safer.

Harris and Walz have been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: Clean Water Action, Emgage Action, Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan Education Association, Michigan United Action, MI Poder, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Sierra Club - Michigan.

Vice President Harris’s opponent in this race is former president Donald Trump, a con man whose time in the White House was characterized by chaos, bigotry, and a focus on taking care of himself and his wealthy friends. Trump has selected Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his running mate. Vance has limited experience in governing and has followed Trump’s lead in spreading harmful racist, sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the most progressive choices in this race

Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who has represented Michigan for three terms in Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, is running this year for her first term representing Michigan in the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Slotkin spent much of her career working on national security issues for the federal government. After losing her mother to cancer and witnessing firsthand the way families dealing with a serious illness must also navigate tremendous financial stress, she decided to run for Congress and work toward a more just healthcare system.

In addition to taking on big pharma and insurance companies, Rep. Slotkin’s policy priorities include creating safer communities via gun violence prevention laws, protecting abortion rights, reducing inequality and ensuring all families have what they need to thrive, and defending our democracy and voting rights.

Rep. Slotkin has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: American Federation of Teachers - Michigan, Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan Association for Justice, Michigan Education Association, Michigan United Action, MI Poder, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Sierra Club - Michigan.

Rep. Slotkin’s opponent is Mike Rogers, a Trump-endorsed candidate who shares many of the former president’s priorities, including harsh, authoritarian immigration and policing policies, criminalizing abortion, and supporting corporations over everyday Americans. Mike Rogers recently moved back to Michigan after living in Florida for years in order to run for the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin is the most progressive choice in this race.

Curtis Hertel is a former state legislator, currently working for Governor Whitmer, who is running for his first term in Congress to represent the 7th District.

Throughout his career, Hertel has striven to find workable solutions to the problems facing Michiganders and ensure everyone in our state can thrive. In the Senate, Hertel was known for his fiery support of abortion rights, the labor movement and public education.

As a member of Gov. Whitmer’s team after he left the state senate, he helped work to pass major gun violence prevention legislation after the tragic shooting at Michigan State University. His policy platform for Congress includes protecting our freedom to vote, making sure everyone can get the reproductive healthcare they need, combating climate change, and passing common sense gun violence prevention laws to make our communities safer.

Hertel has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: American Federation of Teachers - Michigan, Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan Association for Justice, Michigan Education Association, Service Employees International Union - Michigan, Sierra Club - Michigan, MI Poder, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Hertel’s opponent in this race is Tom Barrett, a MAGA Republican who believes in criminalizing abortion and participated in the Trump-led far right campaign to overturn legitimate election results in 2020. Barrett is also endorsed by the anti-reproductive freedom organization Right to Life Michigan.

Curtis Hertel is the most progressive choice in this race.

Julie Brixie is an incumbent Democrat running for her fourth term in the Michigan House of Representatives in the 73rd District. She is the current representative for the 73rd District and serves on appropriations and tax policy committees.

​​Brixie served in a historic legislative session with a Democratic majority that took major strides forward on key progressive issues. The Democratic majority passed the Reproductive Health Act, ensuring all Michiganders can make their own decisions about how and when to start a family, gave Michigan's kids free school breakfast and lunch and additional funds to support our students, and passed common sense gun violence prevention measures. Putting hard-working Michiganders' first, they also quintupled the Working Families Tax Credit, got rid of the retirement tax, and got rid of so-called "right to work" anti-worker legislation to ensure workers have bargaining power to stand up to greedy corporations. Brixie also helped expand the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and codify parts of the Affordable Care Act into law that protect LGBTQ+ Michiganders from discrimination in healthcare, housing, and the workplace.

Brixie has worked in public service for more than two decades starting in local government. Serving eight years on the Township Board as a member and 10 years as treasurer, where she championed bipartisanship. During her time on the Township Board she worked on fixing roads, new public libraries and free curbside recycling.


Brixie has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organizations: American Federation of Teachers - Michigan, Equality Michigan Action Network, Michigan AFL-CIO, Michigan Association for Justice, Michigan Education Association, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Service Employees International Union - Michigan, Sierra Club - Michigan, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, and We the People - Michigan.

Brixie is running against Republican Joshua Rockey.

Brixie is the most progressive choice in this race.

Shauna Dunnings is running for re-election as Ingham County probate judge. Dunnings was elected as probate court judge in 2018. She also served as Ingham County chief circuit and probate judge pro tempore from 2019 to 2021. Previously she has served as a court administrator, a law clerk, and worked in private practice.

Dunnings is running unopposed.

Shauna Dunnings is the best choice in this race. Her name will appear on the nonpartisan section of the ballot.

John Dewane is a Democrat running for Ingham County prosecutor. Formerly the Ingham County deputy chief assistant prosecutor, he was appointed by judges of the 30th Circuit Court in 2022 to replace the former Ingham County prosecutor who retired. DeWane has worked in the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office since 2001 and before that he was in private practice. He is focused on addressing gun-related crime, advancing human and civil rights with equal justice and safety for all, and investing in youth development programs to continue building a safer future for our children.

Dewane is running against Republican Norm Shinkle. Shinkle was formerly a member of the Board of State Canvassers and sought to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

John Dewane is the best choice in this race.

Scott A. Wriggelsworth is a Democrat running for his third term as Ingham County sheriff. A graduate of Holt High School, Michigan State University, and Lansing Community College, Wriggelsworth worked for the East Lansing Police Department from 1994 to 2016, when he was elected as Ingham County sheriff. Wriggelsworth considers himself a leader in implementation of extreme risk protection orders to combat gun violence, and aims to invest in incarcerated individuals, providing resources to help them stay on the right path rather than just warehousing them in jail.

Wriggelsworth is running against Republican Steve Fox.

Scott A. Wriggelsworth is the best choice in this race.

Barb Byrum is a Democrat running for her fourth term as Ingham County Clerk. She has been credentialed since 2016 as a certified elections and registration administrator by the Election Center, a national continuing professional education group specializing in elections and voter registration. Byrum also currently serves on the Secretary of State’s Michigan’s Election Security Commission. Before becoming county clerk, she served three terms as a Michigan state representative. Byrum is a fierce advocate for voting rights and ensuring everyone has access to the ballot.

Byrum has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organization: Michigan Education Association.

Byrum is running against Republican Joseph Werner.

Barb Byrum is the best choice in this race.

Derrick Quinney is running for re-election to serve as Ingham County register of deeds. He was previously the Lansing City Council president and health and safety director for the MI state AFL-CIO before being appointed as register of deeds in 2015. He was then elected to the position in 2020. Quinney grew up in Lansing and has experienced firsthand the lasting effects of systemic racism and segregation, which is why—as the only African-American register of deeds in the state—he was a key voice in shaping a new state law in 2023 that allowed homeowners to remove language from their property documents originally intended to keep minorities from owning property.

Quinney is running against Republican Karla Skoczylas.

Derrick Quinney is the best choice in this race.

Alan Fox is a Democrat running for re-election to serve as Ingham County treasurer. He previously served as chief deputy treasurer, was appointed to serve as treasurer in 2022, and then elected to the position of treasurer in the 2022 election. Previously he served for 24 years on the Ingham County Board of Canvassers, managed a small business, various nonprofits, and worked for various Michigan lawmakers. Fox is working to address the lasting impacts of systemic racism on housing ownership in Ingham County, looking at how climate change will affect communities across the county, and helping reduce tax foreclosures by focusing on the root causes.

Fox is running against Republican Bruce A. Little.

Alan Fox is the best choice in this race.

Lisa Marie Downey is a Democrat running for election to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to represent the 1st District.

Downey is running against incumbent Republican Randy Maiville.

Given the limited information we have about both candidates, we are unable to determine whether either candidate could be considered progressive to any degree, but at this time we are recommending voters consider Lisa Marie Downey over Randy Maiville based on the information we were able to find.

Karl Andrew Sime is a Democrat running for his first term to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners representing District 2. With 35 years of experience as a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, he will work hard to develop science-based solutions for the issues facing Ingham County. Sime will encourage development balanced with preserving the environment and make Ingham a place where people want to live and work.

Sime is running against incumbent Republican Karla Ruest.

Karl Andrew Sime is the best choice in this race.

Robert Orlando Peña is a Democrat running for re-election to the Ingham County Board of Commission. He works as a civil engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation and has advocated for improved bike transportation and food security countywide. He is a known progressive activist in his community. His personal interests include urban farming, being active in his church, and mission work.

Peña is running against Republican Evelyn Davis.

Robert Orlando Peña is the best choice in this race.

Mark Grebner is a Democrat running for re-election to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, where he has served for more than three decades. He is a nationally recognized political consultant and expert on election administration and the Freedom of Information Act.

Mark Grebner is running against Republican Virginia Werner.

Mark Grebner is the best choice in this race.

Mark Polsdofer is a Democrat running for his fourth term on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. He currently works in the Michigan Department of Transportation and throughout his career he has worked for a number of elected officials, including former Governor Jennifer Granholm. He previously voted in favor of a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis and he supports the Black Lives Matter movement. Polsdofer is chairman of the Ingham County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and a member of the Ingham County Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. He will fight for funding for road and infrastructure repair and preserve the Ingham Health Plan.

Polsdofer is running against Republican Nikki Wang.

Mark Polsdofer is the best choice in this race.

Michelle Rosa is a Democrat running for election to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. Rosa has lived with her family in the Williamston and Okemos community for two decades. She worked for nearly three decades in public education and is dedicated to ensuring the needs of educators and diverse learners are met. She believes parents need access to quality and affordable childcare and early childhood education programs, improving infrastructure including access to dependable broadband, and that everyone needs access to mental health resources.

Rosa has been endorsed by the following progressive partner organization: Michigan Education Association.

Rosa is running against Republican incumbent Monica Schafer.

Michelle Rosa is the best choice in this race.